Matanzas High School teacher accused of sex with student

Saturday

Aug 17, 2013 at 5:33 PMAug 17, 2013 at 10:48 PM

James R. Wolfe is charged with seven counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.

By Katie Kusturakatie.kustura@news-jrnl.com

A high school teacher was charged Saturday with having sex with a student and giving the girl alcohol and a drug during one of the sexual assaults, officials say.James R. Wolfe, an English teacher and track coach at Matanzas High School, was arrested shortly before noon Saturday and is being held at the Flagler County Inmate Facility with bail set at $140,000, according to a Flagler County sheriff’s charging affidavit. Wolfe, 31, is charged with seven counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.Investigators learned of the offenses Wednesday when the victim came forward and described the activity she said occurred during a span of nine months, from August 2010 to May 2011, when she was 16 years old, according to the report. The girl told investigators the first time she ever had sex was with Wolfe, her teacher at the time, he gave her alcohol and an unknown type of drug while at his home. She told investigators, according to the report, that the substances made her feel “very relaxed and took away the uneasy feeling of her being at the residence.”Wolfe, of Flagler Beach, was 28 at the time of the sexual activity, officials said.The girl said during one incident in April 2011, Wolfe, who was “partially intoxicated,” picked her up from her home and drove the two of them back to his residence where they drank alcohol before having sex, according to the report. Wolfe and the girl, who had both fallen asleep, were awakened by Wolfe’s girlfriend who unexpectedly came home.The girl told investigators she “felt compelled to engage in sexual acts with Wolfe because of his position of authority over her,” according to the report. She said she could remember at least seven to 10 occurrences but possibly there were more.Flagler County Schools Superintendent Janet Valentine said the issue with Wolfe will go before the school board Tuesday.“We are going to do a suspension with pay at this point, pending an (sheriff’s) investigation,” Valentine said Saturday.